1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a system for mounting and centering full wheel covers on a wheel that is mounted on a rotatable axle of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Full wheel covers are typically attached to automotive wheels and the like by friction-type push-on, pull-off fasteners. While such friction-type fasteners allow the full wheel cover to be relatively easily and quickly attached to a wheel with a hammer or merely the heel of a person's hand and removed from the wheel with a pry-bar or typical screwdriver, etc., the unintended separation of the full wheel covers from the wheels with such friction-type systems often happens when the wheel hits a bump or hole at moderate to high speeds, etc. Additionally, the balance of the wheel is often adversely affected with such friction-type systems if the full wheel cover is mounted to the wheel in a slightly off-center position, etc. Also, the ability of such friction-type systems to secure and center the wheel cover on the wheel is normally reduced after the wheel cover has been repeatedly pushed on and pulled off the wheel. Many attempts have been made to improve such friction-type systems as evidenced by the many patents issued on such systems. The present inventor is aware of the following patents which are relevant to the present invention since they all disclose various methods of attaching wheel covers to wheels but which all are friction-type systems and utilize springs or the like extending outward from the periphery of the wheel cover to bitingly engage the rim portion of the wheel: Maurer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,725,257, issued Nov. 29, 1955; Buerger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,257, issued Apr. 8, 1975; Spisak, U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,273, issued Mar. 27, 1979; Beisch, U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,047, issued Oct. 21, 1980; Osborn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,716, issued May 17, 1983; and Schwarz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,789, issued Jun. 18, 1985.
The present inventor is aware of the following patents which are also relevant to the present invention since they all disclose various methods of attaching hub caps, wheel covers, and the like to wheels:
Sinclair, U.S. Pat. No. 2,016,395, issued Oct. 8, 1935, discloses a coverplate for a vehicle wheel. The coverplate 19 includes a disk 20 having a central portion 21 designed to serve the purpose of a usual hub cap. A yieldable, rubber ring 24 is secured to the periphery of the disk 20 and is compressed against the front side of the rim 11 of the wheel by bolts 25 extending through the disk 20 into the hub 15 of the wheel.
Gatta, U.S. Pat. No. 2,020,885, issued Nov. 12, 1935, discloses a wheel cover for use with a spoke-type vehicle wheel having a rim portion joined to a hub portion by a plurality of spokes. The hub portion of the wheel includes a plurality of prongs 7. The wheel cover includes a hub cover 13 having an annular portion 15 that extends radially to rest by its periphery on the rim 14 of the wheel and cover the spokes. The hub cover 13 includes an intermediate annular portion 16 for being engaged by the prongs 7 of the hub portion of the wheel to secure the wheel cover to the wheel.
Selleck, U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,133, issued Nov. 14, 1967, discloses a safety hub cap and wheel locking device including a spider 12 for being secured to a wheel 25 by special extension nuts 26 and bolts 30. A hub cap 14 and hub cap cover 16 are secured to the spider 12 by a key operated lock to prevent unauthorized removal of the wheel 25.
Trevarrow, U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,421, issued Dec. 5, 1967, discloses a wheel cover 11 that is attached to the studs 3 of a hub 2 of a vehicle by nuts 26 with a coil spring 29 positioned between the wheel cover 11 and an enlarged head of each nut 26. The outer flange 14 of the wheel cover 11 rests on the outer edge of the wheel rim 6.
Spisak, U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,204, issued Dec. 22, 1970, discloses a vehicle wheel assembly including a wheel 12 and a hub cover member 26, both adapted to be secured to a vehicle by studs 50.
Richter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,536, issued Jan. 12, 1971, discloses an improved wheel assembly including a hub cap 22 that is supported on the hub of a vehicle by lug bolts 16 which also attach the wheel to the hub.
Hudson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,461, issued Dec. 7, 1976, discloses a wheel lock for preventing theft of automobile wheels. The Hudson wheel lock comprises a first cover plate 21 for blocking access to the wheel bolts 13 used to attach a wheel to a vehicle, the first cover plate 21 being attached to the bolts 13 by screws 23 passing through the first cover plate 21; a second cover plate 26 in contact with and covering the screws 23; and a removable plug lock 27 holding the second cover plate 26 in position.
Dixon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,869, issued Jul. 24, 1979, discloses a wheel cover lock 10 including a bolt means 18 for being secured to one of the lugs 40 used to secure a wheel 14 to an axle. A hole 46 is made in the wheel cover so that one end of a key operated tumbler member 30 can pass therethrough and be locked onto the bolt means 18 to prevent unauthorized removal of the wheel cover.
Warren, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,582, issued Aug. 19, 1986, discloses a wheel cover that is supported only at its center portion and having a contour closely matching the underlying wheel.
Cummings, U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,465, issued Dec. 30, 1986, discloses a hub cap to cover the deeply recessed drive axle wheel of a heavy road vehicle that is secured in place by nuts applied to externally threaded ends of respective extenders which pass through accommodating holes in the hub cap. The extenders are secured in place by having their opposite ends internally threaded and screwed onto the free ends of the usual lug bolts that extend beyond the usual lug nuts adjacent to the bottom of the recess.
Axelos, French Patent 622,482, dated May, 1927, discloses a hub cap 10 for disk-type wheels 3. The hub cap 10 covers the end 12 of an axle 1 and nuts 5 used to secure a wheel 3 to the axle 1. A pair of the nuts 5 are provided with an outwardly extending screw 7 for extending through the hub cap 10. A cap nut 11 is screwed on the outer end of each screw 7 to secure the hub cap 10 to the screws 7.
Beaufils, French Patent 633,632, dated February, 1928, discloses a spoke type wheel including a central hub or drum, a rim, and a plurality of spokes extending between the hub and the rim to secure the rim to the hub. The hub is attached to an axle by cap nuts 6 or by a jam nut 17. A hub cap is provided to hide the hub, to prevent the nuts attaching the hub to the axle from becoming loose by pressing on their extremities, and to decorate the wheel. The hub cap is secured to the hub by a screw 7 that is threaded into the outer end of one of the cap nuts 6, or by cap nuts 16 that are attached on top of one of the jam nuts 17 to the ends of the threaded studs extending from the axle.
None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention. More specifically, none of the above patents disclose or suggest a full wheel cover mounting and centering system including a full wheel cover for completely covering the central body portion of a standard wheel and for abutting the rim portion of the standard wheel, the full wheel cover having rigid, non-yielding positioning means adjacent the outer circumference thereof for abutting the rim portion of the standard wheel to insure that the full wheel cover is centered and aligned relative to the rim without requiring the standard wheel to be modified in any manner; and a plurality of attachment means for fixedly attaching the full wheel cover to the standard wheel and for insuring that the full wheel cover is precisely centered relative to the central body portion of the standard wheel and that the balance of the standard wheel is not adversely affected by the full wheel cover without requiring the standard wheel to be modified in any manner.